Patients are Treating IBS with Medical Cannabis

As much as I would like to start off with discrediting the social stigma that surrounds the medical use of cannabis , I figured it would be too typical to doso. With the amount of unbiased-scientific research that proves it’s beneficial values, the increasing number of states in America that are legalizing the plant for medical use, and for the fact that there has not been any recorded deaths caused by cannabis alone in history; there is no need to try to convince people that cannabis is not as bad as the media and propaganda make it out to be.

Thanks to unbiased scientific research, it has been proven that cannabis has many chemical properties that allow it to have great medicinal value as well. To be able to discuss the medical benefits of cannabis, I must talk briefly about the chemical compounds in the plant, known as cannabinoids, and how they work to trigger the cannabinoid receptors that are already present in our bodies.

A medical cannabis educational resource company (Cresco Labs) stated,

THC, is also known for being an effective relief of pain and nausea, which are two of the most common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. CBD, the most abundant non-psychoactive cannabinoid works as a powerful anti-spasmodic that also produces calming effects in patients.

It, should be noted here that THC and CBD are being considered as a treatment for the symptoms of IBS, not the cause of IBS. This is a very specific aspect of cannabis’ potential medical benefits many people seem to forget, and media outlets mislabel when write about them. For example “Cannabis Cures Cancer” may be an article which only relates to the potential cannabis has to treat symptoms experienced by cancer treatments i.e. chemotherapy. This can be very misleading and in some cases dangerous when people follow this advice for treatment. This is why we prefer to bring you the facts and highlight potential outcomes of new research.

THC and CBD work for us, by stimulating (CBD) or binding (THC) with our cannabinoid (CB) receptors (CB1 & CB2) to fulfill a certain balance. For example a binding may block a receptor from adsorbing too much of a specific protein or molecule which is having a negative effect on our bodies i.e. possible kidney damage. In the other case it could stimulate the receptors to get more proteins/molecules because we need them i.e. more dopamine for people who suffer from depression.

While being studied for its potential to treat IBS, medical cannabis was also discovered to to be beneficial in treating the symptoms of other conditions such as Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Arthritis and even Crohn’s Disease.

I’m naturally a positive person, however as you can imagine, IBS makes it easy to be depressed due to the daily struggles it creates, but the ease that medical cannabis provides to me aids in maintaining my sense of optimism. Although it is nearly impossible to overdose on cannabis, I’ve been prescribed to only intake a small amount, which is more than enough to help with pain relief. Overall, when consuming cannabis appropriately, the effects can be very beneficial to an IBS patient if he/she is willing to go that route.